Heaven's Sky

American Dreams #1

by Jan Cline

It's 1935. Clarissa Wilding refuses to leave her homestead, despite the ravages of drought and relentless dust storms plaguing the Kansas plains. The competing influence of a local pastor and a helpful stranger plant seeds of doubt about her decision. With her husband away looking for work, the elements and poverty threaten to overcome her resolve to stand firm, especially when her wealthy estranged sister from New York surprises her with a visit. The sisters must work together to answer the challenges of living in the dust bowl years. Courage and surrender build in both their hearts, while the ultimate test makes each of them face what really matters in life.

318 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 31, 2019

About the author

I'm an author, freelance writer and speaker from Idaho. I recently retired from directing a writer's conference I founded, but continue to be involved in the writing and publishing world. I love to speak to women's groups, book clubs, writer's groups, and at writer's conferences.

My love for history and old stuff keeps me busy researching for my novels and feeds my hobby of giving new life to tired vintage items.

Sign up for my email list on my website to receive interesting articles and inspirational blog posts, and you'll also receive a free short story.

Reviews

[Gretchen Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tiny graves. Family secrets. A grieving mama. A reverend she can't believe and a drifter she must trust. An achingly real glimpse into the life of a heartbroken woman living in Kansas in 1935. 


I could almost taste the grit in the scant food she had to feed her children. With each turn of the page, I could feel the layers of dust coating everything she touched. 


Clarissa is searching for hope for her marriage and healing for her family amid the devastation of the Dust Bowl. And her story is one you won't soon forget. I was honored to receive an advance copy to review.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clarissa Wilding is a stubborn woman. Ane her strong will nearly kills her son. During the 1930s dust bowl on the Kansas plains, winds whips dirt into every nook and cranny. Drought is prevalent in the region. That's when her husband leaves to find work away from the family farm and away from the horrid area. But Clarissa stays behind. She can't seem to tear herself from two small graves beyond the home.

A drifter, seemingly sent from God, shows up and offers a hand in return for shelter and food. She accepts. What else is she to do in hard times? Now, with two small boys, one gravely ill, another forced to become a man at a tender age, and a stranger on the farm, not only is her Preacher, a character himself, suspicious but so is her visiting sister, a New York socialite.

Clarissa is desperate for clean air and her husband. Will he return after his auto shows up without him? Half starved, she feels helpless. Hopeless. Will her son live? How?

Read this historical gem and find out, you won't be sorry! Cline's characters are believable and so is her plot and eye for detail. I feel honored to have received an advanced copy for review.

[Gloria Latham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Good Story From a True Time In History

This story caused me to want to know more about the terrible dust storms in the Midwest. What a terrible time. Jan Cline told this story so well. The characters are very real! Their doubts, fears and wrestling with their beliefs in God are like what many of us go through. I can't wait to start the second book.

[Gail Kittleson]

I'd mark this a must-read for anyone intrigued by the Dust Bowl era. Characterization, plot, and setting all worked together to keep me up reading later than usual. The heroine's family endures epic struggles in this devastating period in Kansas, as well as universal personal challenges. Will I read the sequel? You bet!

[Barb Ratcliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this is historical fiction, it’s also Christian fiction. A good story about a family living in the dust bowl.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't imagine facing the disasters and stresses that Clarissa and her family had to endure. To think that families in the 1930's America lived through the poverty of the Dust Bowl and lack of resources is unimaginable. In Jan Cline's story, we see how God brings help and hope in even the most terrible of circumstances. I look forward to her second book in this series. I also thank Jan for the challenge to learn about the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. I did do some research. I am richer for this knowledge, it is part of our family history as Americans. Thank you, Jan.

[Marty Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book!

What an emotional and beautiful story!! This is a story of pain, forgiveness, God's grace, mercy and peace. Based during the "Dust bowl days", the author takes you through all the harrowing issues that one family in particular, is dealing with. Then she brings in the sister and walks us through their childhood pain and brought them back together better than ever. An EXCELLENT book!!